Gazette All-Area Football Team: Offense

PHOTOGRAPHER: Peter R. Barber

Ryan Deguire of Mohonasen is the Gazette's Offensive Player of the Year.

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Getting a piece of Ryan Deguire was one thing. Bringing the Mohonasen senior to the turf proved to be something else.

“He got hit by six Queensbury kids on one play and scored a 70-yard touchdown,” Mighty Warriors coach Scott Sabourin said of his shifty running back-turned-quarterback. “He was so competitive, so determined. Some of his runs were just . . . He just wanted to win so bad.”

Mohonasen may not have been among Section II’s most successful teams, but it was competitive and did score plenty of points behind the Daily Gazette’s record-setting Offensive Player of the Year.

Deguire ran for 25 touchdowns for one of his school records, and set another mark with 2,011 rushing yards on 220 carries. In 10 games, he surpassed 300 rushing yards twice, 200 yards three times and 100 yards on four other occasions, and ranks No. 2 all-time among Schenectady County runners, behind Vince Gallo of Schalmont (2,403 yards), the Gazette’s top offensive player in 2009.

“We didn’t have very many offensive weapons, and our offensive line was average. Not spectacular,” Sabourin said. “Everyone we played knew he was going to get the ball.”

In Mohonasen’s 34-22 season-opening win against South Glens Falls, Deguire ran 16 times for 290 yards and three touchdowns, completed all five of his passes for another 50 yards, and returned an interception 45 yards for a score. That was just the start of a monster campaign that saw Deguire pass for 378 yards (31-for-58) and five touchdowns, and collect 52 tackles and three interceptions from his strong safety position.

“Against the Section II champs [Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake], he ran 18 times for 335 yards,” Sabourin said of the fast and durable Deguire, the Section II Class A Offensive Player of the Year. “Queensbury was a top-10 team in the state, and he had 200 yards in back-to-back games against them. We played the fifth most difficult schedule in New York state.”

Deguire’s 2,011 rushing yards are No. 11 on the all-time Section II list. He accounted for 2,521 total yards after piling up 2,007 last season when he was tabbed the Gazette’s All-Area first-team all-purpose player.

“He could have had more [yards],” Sabourin said of the academic standout who also plays basketball and baseball. “We could have had him do kickoff and punt returns. He showed what he can do last year when he did, but we didn’t want to weigh him down.”

Deguire still did plenty of heavy lifting.

“Look at what we had around him,” Sabourin said. “What he did was so extraordinary.”

Amsterdam’s Dale Stanavich is another Gazette first-team repeater, earning all-purpose honors on the offensive side after making the team his junior year as a free safety.

Stanavich took over for his brother Bryan as the Rugged Rams lead back, and, on 151 carries, had 1,504 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns. The Class A Player of the Year also caught three scoring passes, threw for two, and returned an interception for another.

“He returned kicks and punts and was on the coverage teams. He had 75 tackles on defense,” Amsterdam coach Doug Edick said. “He did it all.”

Stanavich had games with 260, 235 and 211 rushing yards, and had six other games with over 100. He is joined in the All-Area backfield by running back Joey Ward and quarterback John Germinerio of state Class AA champion Troy, and quarterback Joe Girard III of New York Class A champ Glens Falls.

Ward ran 248 times for 1,787 yards and 21 touchdowns, and scored in 12 of Troy’s 13 wins. The Liberty Division Offensive Player of the Year also threw two scoring passes, one of them in Troy’s 33-21 Super Bowl win over Shaker. Ward ran for 1,065 yards as Bishop Maginn’s quarterback in 2015.

Germinerio guided Troy to a 22-1 record in his two seasons as a varsity starter, this year completing 106 of 189 passes for 1,873 yards and 21 touchdowns. The Liberty Division Player of the Year also ran for 308 yards and eight touchdowns, and scored on two interceptions.

Germinerio passed for 222 yards and a touchdown, and his tackle on a late two-point pass kept Troy in front in its 21-20 state title-game win over Victor.

Girard also capped a marvelous season with an impact performance at the Carrier Dome, running for two touchdowns, throwing for two, and intercepting a late pass to clinch Glens Falls’ 47-39 win against Chenango Forks.

The North Division Offensive Player of the Year totaled 1,601 yards and 25 touchdowns on 89-for-137 passing, and ran for 431 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also returned three interceptions for touchdowns.

Guilderland senior Steve Fedorchak led Section II receivers with 47 receptions and 947 yards, both school records. The Class AA Empire Division co-Offensive Player of the Year caught six touchdown passes and also scored on punt and interception returns.

“Despite double coverage in most games, he was able to get loose and make big plays,” Guilderland coach Dan Penna said.

Shenendehowa football and basketball standout Mike Pizziketti provided the Plainsmen with a devastating blocker on the edge and a set of sure hands as the Empire Division first-team pick made 23 catches for 335 yards and three touchdowns. The 6-foot-8 tight end has committed to Holy Cross to play football.

Burnt Hills senior Connor McCormick rarely came off the field as a tight end, defensive end, punter and place kicker, where the Southeast Division first-teamer made good on 62 of 64 extra points and was a perfect 4-for-4 on field goal attempts to lead Section II.

Guilderland center Andy Hines is a Gazette first-team repeater on the offensive line, and is joined by guards John LaMarco of CBA and Cody Hayner of Mechancville, and tackles Brendan Morrison of Shaker and Shane Walpole of Shenendehowa.

OFFENSE
FIRST TEAM
QB/RB — Ryan Deguire, Mohonasen, 12, 5-8, 160
QB — John Germinerio, Troy, 12, 5-9, 190
QB — Joe Girard III, Glens Falls, 10, 6-0, 150
RB — Joey Ward, Troy, 11, 5-9, 190
AP — Dale Stanavich, Amsterdam, 12, 5-10, 165
OL — C, Andy Hines, Guilderland, 12, 6-2, 220
OL — G, John LaMarco, CBA, 12, 6-2, 275
OL — G, Cody Hayner, Mechanicville, 11, 6-4, 280
OL — T, Brendan Morrison, Shaker, 12, 6-3, 280
OL — T, Shane Walpole, Shenendehowa, 12, 6-2, 295
E — Mike Pizziketti, Shenendehowa, 12, 6-8, 250
E — Steven Fedorchak, Guilderland, 12, 6-0, 175
K — Connor McCormick, Burnt Hills, 12, 5-11, 200

SECOND TEAM
QB — George Marinopoulos, Guilderland
RB — Vincent Daviero, Burnt Hills
RB — Jacob Stanko, Burnt Hills
RB — Nick DeNicola, CBA
AP — Ky’ere Tillery, Albany
OL — Liam Maloney, Holy Trinity
OL — Patrick Foley, Voorheesville
OL — Saverino Yamin, Troy
OL — Collin Gauna, CBA
OL — Jeff Derwin, Broadalbin-Perth
E — Andrew Murphy, Glens Falls
E — Dev Holmes, Troy

THIRD TEAM
QB — Rickey Woodley, Scotia
QB — Jake Defayette, Schalmont
RB — Aaron Sampson, Glens Falls
RB — Cameron Brooks, Schalmont
RB — Marc DeBates, Mechanicville
OL — Collin Sullivan, Schenectady
OL — Nico Orengo, Amsterdam
OL — Cooper Willis, Averill Park
OL — Kevin Renaud, CBA
OL — Reece Klein, Colonie
E — Ezra Echeandia, Stillwater
E — Jesse Brown, Troy

Reach Gazette Sportswriter Jim Schiltz at 395-3143, [email protected] or @jim_schiltz on Twitter.